Walk 191: Kimpton North-West Loop

5.4 miles (8.6 km) with 120m of total ascent

The path between points 9 & 10

This walk offers wonderful views across the rolling hills north and west of Kimpton. It includes some paths that feature in other walks in our collection, so regular uses of Hertfordshire Walker might recognise some of the sections from having walked other loops. The walk starts and finishes at The Boot, but can be adjusted if you want to start and finish at the village car park. There is a cafe attached to the village shop which you pass at the end of the walk. The starting point is 4.4 miles NE from Harpenden station by road.

Getting there

There are bus stops close to the start and finish point near The Boot on High Street (location - https://w3w.co/salad.fame.chair). They are served by the numbers 44, 45, 304, and 315 buses. You can check bus times at Intalink.

Fly through preview of walk

If you want to check what sort of landscape you will be crossing before you set off on this walk you can view a short 3D video of the route below. It's created using the free version of Relive.

Directions

Map for Walk 191: Kimpton North-West Loop
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Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker
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There is an interactive map below the directions

Those with GPS devices can download GPX or KML files for this walk. We've added What3Words location references for those who use that system. If you print these walks you might want to use the green PrintFriendly icon at the bottom of these directions to delete elements such as photographs.

The Boot, High Street, Kimpton

1: With your back to The Boot (location - https://w3w.co/reach.grant.nest), turn left then head E along High Street for 40m until you reach Park Lane on the left (location - https://w3w.co/zeal.circle.shop). Turn left on Park Lane then head N for 100m looking out for a footpath on the right called Church Path (location - https://w3w.co/watch.shops.spices). This path is also Kimpton footpath 34.

2: Turn right on Church Path then head E for 210m until you reach Church Lane (location - https://w3w.co/ozone.vets.harp).

Follow Church Lane past the cottages and the church

3: Turn left on Church Lane then follow it as it heads N and winds its way past cottages and the Church of St Peter and St Paul, a grade I listed building, on the right, see image below.

Church of St Peter and St Paul, Kimpton

Continue along Church Lane for 100m until you reach a gate leading to the track leading to Kimpton car park on the left (location - https://w3w.co/gangs.double.gather), see image below.

Go through the gate, cross the track, then go through a second gate

4: Go through the gate, cross the track, then go through a second gate and continue along Kimpton footpath 21, with the hedgerow on the left and the field on the right.

Kimpton footpath 21 between points 4 & 5

Continue for 680m, ignoring footpaths to the right and left and continuing until you reach the edge of Horsleys Wood (location - https://w3w.co/happen.freed.slug).

Continue with the hedgerow on the left until you reach Horsleys Wood

5: Continue heading NW, now on St Paul's Walden footpath 20, through Horsleys Wood for 70m until you reach a gate (location - https://w3w.co/giving.drill.noses), see image below.

Head NW and to the left of the telegraph pole 

Continue across the field heading NW and to the left of the telegraph pole (following the line of the orange arrow on the image above) for 280m to a stile (location - https://w3w.co/landed.sparks.simple), see image below.

Cross the stile then head for a second stile - see orange arrow

Cross the stile then head NNW for 80m to another stile (location - https://w3w.co/chained.link.worked), see image below.

Cross the next field heading to the right of the large tree

Cross a track and then head N for 70m across the next field walking to the right of a large tree (see orange arrow in image above) to reach a lane called The Holt (location - https://w3w.co/orders.stews.yards).

6: Turn right on The Holt then head NE for 230m until you reach a track on the left just after a cottage on the left (location - https://w3w.co/report.cloud.system), see image below.

Turn left on St Paul's Walden restricted byway 19

7: Turn left on St Paul's Walden restricted byway 19 then head NNW for 860m until the path enters a wooded section before reaching a junction (location - https://w3w.co/square.secure.proud), see image below.

Follow the track through the trees to a junction

8: Immediately after the path goes through the wooded section it reaches a junction where you keep right, still on St Paul's Walden restricted byway19, see image below.

Keep right at the tree still on St Paul's Walden restricted byway 19

Head NNE for 440m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/enough.abacus.lighter), see image below.

Turn left at the junction on St Paul's Walden UCR1

9: Turn left at the junction on St Paul's Walden UCR1 (unclassified unmetalled county road), then head W then SW for 270m to a junction (location - https://w3w.co/drip.weaned.satin), see image below.

Keep right at the first junction and stay on St Paul's Walden UCR1

Keep right at the junction, still on St Paul's Walden UCR1 and continue heading SW for 50m to another junction (location - https://w3w.co/navy.dads.hurray), see image below.

Keep left at the junction, still on St Paul's Walden UCR1

Keep left at the junction, see image above, then continue heading SW along St Paul's Walden UCR1 for 720m until you reach Whitewaysbottom Lane (location - https://w3w.co/paths.melon.plants). This and the next section have some really great views across the countryside.

There are some great views between points 9 & 10

10: Cross Whitewaysbottom Lane then take Kimpton footpath 54 and head WSW for 400m before the path bends left (location - https://w3w.co/ties.bump.grapes), see image below.

The path bends left with the hedgerow on the right and the field on the left

Keep left here, still on Kimpton footpath 54, then head SSE for 140m with the hedgerow on the right and the field on the left until you reach a gap on the right (location - https://w3w.co/chips.lame.lively), see image below.

Go through the gap then head SW

Go through the gap then head SW across a field for 340m until you reach Barleybeans Road (location - https://w3w.co/vanish.scrap.camera), see image below.

Head SW across the field to Barleybeans Road

11: Turn left on Barleybeans Road then head SE for 270m looking for a footpath on the right (location - https://w3w.co/bars.hears.petal), see image below.

Turn right on Kimpton footpath 43

12: Take this path, Kimpton footpath 43, but be sure to walk to the right of the hedgerow. There is a sign advising walkers not to walk along the left of the hedgerow, see image below.

Head SSW then S with the hedgerow on the left and the field on the right

Your way is SSW then S with the hedgerow on the left and the field on the right for 500m to a junction (location - https://w3w.co/zooms.rotate.club), see image below.

Turn left on Kimpton bridleway 51 then head E

13: Turn left on Kimpton bridleway 51 then head E for 500m until you reach Barleybeans Road (location - https://w3w.co/dress.cheeks.gets).

14: Turn right on Barleybeans Road then head SSE for 270m to Ansells End at the junction with Luton Road (location - https://w3w.co/neck.puzzle.patch). Turn left on Luton Road then head S for 40m looking for a footpath on the right (location - https://w3w.co/moons.digits.puddles), see image below.

Take Kimpton footpath 37 then head SE

15: Take Kimpton footpath 37 then head SE for 870m until you reach Kimpton Road (location - https://w3w.co/swan.fend.tides.

16: At this point there is a permissive path running inside the hedgerow alongside Kimpton Road which heads E for 140m to Luton Road (location - https://w3w.co/fight.plus.leaned), see image below.

Take the permissive path that runs parallel to Kimpton Road

17: Cross Luton Road, then take Kimpton bridleway 33 (location - https://w3w.co/noisy.radio.park), see image below.

Kimpton bridleway 33 off Luton Road

Head E for 580m until you reach Claggy Road (location - https://w3w.co/emerge.reform.unless). On your left is a Budgens village store which has a bakery and cafe with outside seating.

18: Turn right on Claggy Road then left on High Street Kimpton then head E for 180m until you reach The Boot and the starting point.

Interactive map

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